Hello, I'm Bridget

Where it all began

I am a second-generation safety engineer; I grew up around safety.

My father ran a business from our home, and I would often be the one to answer the phone. The customers who called had no idea who I was.

As the years went on, I learnt so much. Yet I never realised it at the time.

I am a child of the 1970's, a generation that didn't realise there was a glass ceiling, in a time when women ran the country, and commoners became princesses.

I was a young girl who knew no different.

I had an affinity for sciences at school and fell in love with motor racing visiting Silverstone in the 1980’s. At 18 I left home to study engineering. And so it all began…

I graduated at 23 and got a job where I was one of the most qualified there. To some, when helping customers, I would only ever be the “secretary.” Perhaps that was my first surprise, where I thought there were no glass ceilings, I had moved to a very different world.

I was young, female and 6 foot tall, in what, I was fast becoming to realise, was a man’s world.

It might not surprise you to hear that at times in my career, some of those men tried to keep me down. How dare I be so me…and tall!

Of course, with resilience, passion, and a determination for my voice to be heard, I’ve risen above. But all of it has at times left its mark.

There came a time when being someone else’s employee was no longer lighting me up. In fact, it was draining me.

It was right then, at a time when I didn't know where to turn and needed it most, that an opportunity came along. One of those moments that would change things forever.

I was invited by the then President of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) to attend their conference in Quebec City. I booked a flight, and I headed off.

The brochure for the conference even said, “leave your suits at home!”, I was heading to something very different from the professional development I had experienced this side of the pond, and I was about to find out that a very different world was out there.

At last, I saw how inspiring the world of health and safety could be, when people were truly valued. I made friendships that would last a lifetime in meeting people who gave me the boost I needed to take the next frightening step in my career.

It was time to let go of the job that was holding me back, and to embrace my full potential as head of my own company.

In 2008, with a name inspired by the stories that included Piglet, my family nickname from childhood. Hundred Acre was born. I had founded my own world.

My adventures in my Hundred Acre world have been the best chapter of my story yet. I’ve worked with clients across the world. From coffee businesses to wine tasting. From million-pound cars to open heart surgery. No two days are ever the same.

Running Hundred Acre has changed me, has expanded my world, and has taught me countless new roles. You have to be a technician, a manager, an entrepreneur…

You have to understand your behaviours and values, and those of the people around you. It’s all of this, brought together, that has made my working life what it is today.

Not only am I a safety engineer, I’m a consultant and a trainer. This has naturally evolved into me coaching and a mentoring individuals and business owners who need support. From my experience, these elements fit perfectly together.

As you’ve noticed from my story, there were times in my life when I didn’t feel that safe.

That’s why I do things differently.

Hundred Acre is a place where people are at the heart of everything. It’s a place dedicated to making sure people’s physical and emotional welfare is taken care of.

And whether you or your employees are a dependable Winnie the Pooh, an enthusiastic Tigger or perhaps even a dispirited Eeyore, it’s my wish to make Hundred Acre Everyone’s Safe Place.